Children’s Digital Illustration: Colors and Textures

A course by John Joven , Designer and Illustrator

Designer and Illustrator. Bogota, Colombia.
Joined May 2021

Learn to create illustrations that tell endearing stories by combining the use of analog textures and digital tools

100% positive reviews (46)
899 students
Audio: Spanish
Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

Learn to create illustrations that tell endearing stories by combining the use of analog textures and digital tools

Illustration is a creative tool for decoding a message into images, and for illustrator and graphic designer John Joven, it's his way of connecting young readers with stories and piquing their curiosity through fantastical scenes, imaginary characters, and exciting new worlds.

In this course, learn to create larger-than-life children's illustrations in Adobe Photoshop. John teaches you how to combine analog techniques with digital tools, making textures by hand and turning them into digital brushes to produce vibrant pieces with charming characters that captivate readers.

Read more ↓

What will you learn in this online course?

16 lessons & 32 downloads

Text and inspiration
4 minutes, 42 seconds
Composition and storyboard 1
11 minutes, 56 seconds
Composition and storyboard 2
10 minutes, 20 seconds
Character sketch
4 minutes, 28 seconds
Stage sketch and final idea
5 minutes, 17 seconds
  • 100% positive reviews (46)
  • 899 students
  • 16 lessons (2h 5m)
  • 32 additional resources (10 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: Spanish
  • Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Illustrate a scene from a story or idea you had for a two-page spread.

Who is this online course for?

Anyone interested in telling stories through illustrations for children.

Requirements and materials

Basic notions of Photoshop are necessary for this course.

The only materials you need are a computer, a scanner, and some stationery items.


Reviews

899 Students
46 Reviews
100% Positive ratings

John Joven

A course by John Joven

Teacher Plus
Designer and Illustrator

John Joven started drawing at a young age and is now a graphic designer by trade and an illustrator at heart. With more than 22 years of experience in the industry, his characters and illustrations have appeared in magazine and newspaper articles, children's books, and animation projects around the world.

Throughout his career, he has created illustrations for children's stories published by major companies like McGraw Hill, Planeta, and Macmillan. He has also designed images for Amazon, Avianca, and National Geographic Channel.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • About Me
    • Influences
  • U2

    The history

    • Text and inspiration
    • Composition and storyboard 1
    • Composition and storyboard 2
    • Character sketch
    • Stage sketch and final idea
  • U3

    Let's do it

    • How to create and digitize textures
    • Create brushes in Photoshop
    • Color choice
    • A stage 1
    • A stage 2
    • Finish a character
  • U4

    Final details

    • Color profile
    • The trim guides
    • Save your work
  • FP

    Final project

    • Children’s Digital Illustration: Colors and Textures

What to expect from a Domestika course

  • Learn at your own pace

    Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.

  • Learn from the best professionals

    Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.

  • Meet expert teachers

    Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.

  • Certificates
    Plus

    If you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.

  • Get front-row seats

    Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.

  • Share knowledge and ideas

    Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.

  • Connect with a global creative community

    The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.

  • Watch professionally produced courses

    Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.


FAQs

Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.

All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.

The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.

You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.

If you're a Plus member, when you complete a course you've purchased, you'll instantly get your personalized certificate. You can see all your certificates in the Certificates section of your profile. You can download your certificates as PDFs and share the link online. Learn more about certificates.
 Children’s Digital Illustration: Colors and Textures. Illustration course by John Joven

Children’s Digital Illustration: Colors and Textures

A course by John Joven
Designer and Illustrator. Bogota, Colombia.
Joined May 2021
  • 100% positive reviews (46)
  • 899 students